To be a member of the Baltimore Orioles is to be a member of a team rich with history.
From National Baseball Hall of Famers Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. to three World Series Championships and Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver, it’s a privilege to grace the orange and black.
Players come and go through the years, and some remain, making a lasting and strong impression that deserves immortality into the team’s Hall of Fame.
Yesterday, the Orioles officially announced their 2024 Hall of Fame class of Nick Markakis, Terry Crowley and Dick Bowie.
Markakis was drafted seventh overall in the 2002 MLB Draft and spent nine of his 15 seasons with the Orioles. He ranks sixth (316) in doubles, seventh (1,547) in hits, eighth (473) in extra-base hits, ninth (749) in runs and 10th (658) in RBIs in Orioles’ history.
The star outfielder won a Gold Glove in 2011 and 2014 with the Orioles. Markakis is first among all MLB right fielders with a career with a .994 fielding percentage. He led the AL in outfield assists (17) in 2008 and is tied with fellow Oriole great Adam Jones (93) in career outfield assists behind Paul Blair‘s 105.
Markakis was named the Most Valuable Oriole in 2007 when he hit .300 with an OPS of .848. He led the O’s in home runs (23), doubles (43), RBIs (112) and hits (191) that season.
Crowley was the Orioles’ hitting coach a combined 16 years, the second longest coaching tenure behind Elrod Hendricks (28 years) in team history.
Crowley was a hitting coach from 1985-1989 and then returned to coach from 1999-2010. During his tenure, the team set records for batting average (.281 in 2004), doubles (322 in 2008) and on-base percentage (.353 in 1999).
Players who set club records during Crowley’s tenure include Melvin Mora (.340 avg, 2004), Brian Roberts (56 doubles, 2009) and Miguel Tejada (214 hits, 2006).
Crowley spent 24 total seasons as a hitting coach, including eight years in Minnesota and three seasons as a minor league hitting instructor, including in 1984 with the Orioles organization.
Crowley had a 15-year playing career, consisting of 12 seasons in Baltimore. He was also the first designated hitter in Orioles’ history, appearing on April 6, 1973.
Crowley appeared in three World Series as a player, two with the Orioles and one with the Cincinnati Reds, winning a title with each club and winning a title as a hitting coach with the 1991 Minnesota Twins.
Crowley would step into an advisory role until 2018 with the Orioles after stepping down as a coach. He’s now enjoying retirement from the game at 77 years old.
Dick Bowie was an Orioles scout and will be inducted as the Herbert E. Armstrong Award winner, given to non-uniformed personnel.
Bowie was an associate scout from 1958-1968 before he was made a full-time scout, a job he held for 13 years. He would become supervisor of the Mid-Atlantic region from 1978 until his passing in 1981.
Some of Bowie’s biggest recommendations were signing Cal Ripken Jr. as an infielder instead of a pitcher, Al Bumbry, who was playing basketball at the time, and long-time Oriole Larry Sheets.
Overall, Bowie signed over 100 players during his career. He was elected into the inaugural Mid-Atlantic Scouts Hall of Fame in 1990.
We would like to congratulate Nick Markakis, Terry Crowley and Dick Bowie on their achievements and this prestigious honor. They will forever be immortalized in Baltimore baseball history.
The three honorees will be recognized on Friday, August 23, at a luncheon at Oriole Park, hosted by the Oriole Advocates, founders of the Orioles Hall of Fame. The on-field induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 24, prior to the 4:05 p.m. EST game against the Houston Astros.
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